More and more women are learning about and enjoying hunting, fishing, backpacking, shooting sports, kayaking and many more outdoor recreational activities. Becoming an Outdoors Woman is a great way to learn the outdoor skills that are necessary to enjoy these activities. Beginners are our specialty, and our programs offer a mix of outdoor skills over a three-day format, and all the equipment is provided for you.

Participants select their program choices from a list of courses offered during the workshop. The workshop provides opportunities in three general program areas: shooting and hunting, fishing, and eco-sports such as kayaking, camping or orienteering. The instruction is focused on the needs of learners 18 years old and older. All classes are taught in a very hands-on way.

In addition to Michigan's traditional Becoming an Outdoors Woman winter and summer workshops, we offer smaller-scale “Beyond BOW” workshops throughout the entire state. Classes fill up very quickly when offered. We encourage you to sign up for email alerts if you would like to be informed when workshops are open for registration. Information will be made available on this page when new workshops are available.

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REGISTER FOR BOW HERE ►

To register for BOW programs, go to Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses and click on the "Purchase a license" button. Sign in (using either a username and password or your ID and birthdate), and find the class under the Becoming an Outdoors Woman tab.

These weekend workshops include training in and experiencing a variety of activities, with a third of the time spent on hunting/shooting, a third of the time on fishing and a third of the time on other outdoor recreation that can be enjoyed on public lands.

• BOW Summer Workshop: June 20-22 at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in Roscommon
  Join outdoor instructors as they guide women new to outdoor skills in their choice of sessions. After registering, you will be sent a form to select which classes you’d like to attend. Choose from fly fishing, archery, shooting, kayaking, backpacking basics, fly tying, backcountry cooking and preparing for a hunt. And everyone can attend the nighttime events – stargazing, owl prowls, bonfires and campfire stories!

These sessions range from two to 12 hours and focus on training in and experiencing one or two outdoor skills (survival skills, birding, tree ID, fly tying, Dutch oven cooking, backpacking and many more) that can be enjoyed on public lands.

• BOW Turkey Hunting Basics and Hunt: May 15-16 in Cass City (Tuscola County) – FULL
  Registration is full for this workshop. In this workshop for first-time hunters, we’ll teach you all the proper shooting and turkey hunting techniques. All women, age 10 and older, who want to learn to hunt are welcome. No previous experience is required.